WBR school scores continue to increase

WBR school scores continue to increase

PORT ALLEN — West Baton Rouge Parish public school performance scores kept escalating during the 2011-12 school year, Superintendent David Corona told School Board members Wednesday.

“The growth this past year was phenomenal across the board,” Corona said during the board’s regular meeting.

Districtwide, the school system scored a 105.5 for a B average, according to the state Department of Education, which tabulates performance scores using criteria such as student test scores, attendance and graduation rates.

The score is an improvement from a 96, or C average, in the 2010-11 school year, Corona said. He added that the district score has improved each year since an 81.1 score in 2007.

Baseline school scores show that none of the district’s 10 schools scored lower than an 81.4 for the year, with a high score of 134.7.

“In 2012, every school is above the 2007 overall average,” the superintendent said. “We’re real proud of that.”

Corona presented figures that show each school has achieved a positive baseline scoring trend since 2007, including four schools that now score more than 100 points each.

Only two schools’ growth performance scores declined, Corona said. Chamberlain Elementary School dropped from 88.6 to 83.4, while Port Allen High School fell from 94 to 88.7.

Board members cited recent flux in the administration at Chamberlain Elementary as a possible source of the lower scores there.

Corona noted that since accountability scores are tallied only from third grade through high school, scores for Brusly Elementary and Port Allen Elementary — which do not have third-grade classes — solely reflect third-graders from nearby schools.

Corona cited the hard work of each employee in the system as well as the School Board in helping the school district attain higher levels of achievement.

Other matters coming before the board included:

MILLAGE RENEWAL: The board set an April 6 election to decide on renewal of a 10-mill, 15-year property tax for Parishwide School District No. 3.

Collections from the tax provide additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in the district, according to the resolution putting the tax proposal on the ballot.